UFC Rankings Update: Charles Oliveira and Kevin Holland make big jumps

Among the biggest winners from UFC 256, there arguably weren’t any bigger than Charles Oliveira and Kevin Holland.

In the event’s co-main event, Brazil’s Oliveira impressed beyond comprehension with the biggest win of his career. Taking on former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson, Oliveira would completely shut down his adversary en route to a unanimous decision win.

Just one fight prior, the middleweight division saw the continual rise of the brash Holland who extended his 2020 campaign to 5-0. In doing so, he would score a knockout of the year contender by putting away Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza with punches off of his back in just the first round.

As is the norm after every UFC event, that means updates to the official rankings. And Oliveira and Holland were two of the highest movers as noted by MMA DNA’s Marcel Dorff.

https://twitter.com/BigMarcel24/status/1338837096547704833

“#UFCRankings Update. 12/15/20

Newly Ranked.
P4P #15 Blachowicz

Out of Rankings.
P4P Ferguson

Highest Climbers.
HW #7 Gane +7
MW #10 Holland +5
LW #3 Oliveira +4
Many +1

Lower in Ranks.
HW #10 JDS -3
Many -1

(via @TSN_Sports)”

Along with the dynamic duo, heavyweight Ciryl Gane catapulted himself up seven spots after defeating former champion Junior Dos Santos via second-round TKO. The undefeated 7-0 Frenchman now seemingly seems poised for yet another big fight in his next time out.

When it comes to Oliveira, UFC President Dana White told it how it was at the UFC 256 post-fight presser. Saying that the BJJ black belt was “without a doubt one of the top three guys in the world right now,” and come Tuesday White’s words came true on paper.

Having been a competitor in the UFC for a full decade now, the 30-8 “Do Bronx” is on the best run of his career with eight wins in a row. The first seven of those all coming by way of finish (five submissions, two TKO/KOs).

At this stage, it’s hard to deny that the record holder for submissions in the UFC hasn’t earned a crack at lightweight gold.